Brookings, named for Judge W. W. Brookings, was platted in 1879. For a short time its name had been Ada. Depending to a large extent upon student trade for its support, Brookings might be considered a typical college town. A prosperous farming area surrounding it is also stimulative to business, and many retired farmers live here. With neat, well-kept lawns and many shaded homes, Brookings possesses much quiet beauty.

The many departments of the South Dakota College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts include numbers industrial courses and practically every branch of science connected with agriculture, ranging from agronomy to veterinary courses. The college campus comprises attractive lawns and 18 well-equipped buildings, including 2 dormitories for women and a spacious armory that serves multiple purposes. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 1934, the college has graduated about 23,000 students.

The Coughlin Campanile and Chimes, rising 165 feet and dwarfing all other buildings in the city, was given to the college by Charles L. Coughlin, an electrical engineering graduate, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of his graduation. He was a South Dakota farm boy from near Carthage, and is now a prominent manufacturer.

Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration of the State of South Dakota, A South Dakota Guide, South Dakota Guide Commission, American Guide Series, State Publishing Company, Pierre SD, 1938.